Python Brain Teasers

We geeks love puzzles and solving them. The Python programming language is a simple one, but like all other languages it has quirks. This book uses those quirks as teaching opportunities via 30 simple Python programs that challenge your understanding of Python. The teasers will help you avoid mistakes, see gaps in your knowledge, and become better at what you do. Use these teasers to impress your co-workers or just to pass the time in those boring meetings. Teasers are fun! At the beginning of each chapter I'll show you a short Python program and will ask you to guess the output. The possible answers can be: Syntax errorExceptionHangSome output (e.g. `[1 2 3]`) Here's how to approach the puzzles. Read through the code. Before moving on to the answer and the explanation, go ahead and guess the output. After guessing the output, run the code and see the output yourself. Finally proceed to read the solution and the explanation. The puzzles are short enough to solve on a coffee break, so carry them with you, have fun, and share them with co-workers. People who make mistakes during the learning process learn better than people who don't. If you use this approach at work when fixing bugs, you'll find you enjoy bug hunting more and become a better developer after each bug you fix. Many of these puzzles are from the author's lessons learned (and others) of shipping bugs to production. He often uses the puzzles as quizzes during conferences and meetups, and they tend to create a buzz of excitement. What You Need: You need to know Python at some level and have experience programming with it.NOTE: The book uses Python version 3.8.2 to run the code; the output _could_ change in future versions.You will need a working Python environment, you can download it from "python.org":https://www.python.org/downloads/.You will probably want a good IDE for python, two of the most popular ones are "Visual Studio Code":https://code.visualstudio.com/ and "PyCharm":https://www.jetbrains.com/pycharm/.

The Python programming language is a simple one, but like all other languagesit has its quirks. This book uses these quirks as a teaching opportunity. Byunderstanding the gaps in your knowledge - you'll become better at what you do.There's a lot of research showing that people who make mistakes during thelearning process learn better than people who don't. If you use this approachwhen fixing bugs - you'll find you enjoy bug hunting more and become a betterdeveloper after each bug you fix.These teasers will help you avoid mistakes. Some of the teasers are from my ownexperience shipping bugs to production, and some from others doing the same.Teasers are fun! We geeks love to solve puzzles. You can also use these teasersto impress your co-workers, have knowledge competitions and become bettertogether.Many of these brain teasers are from quizzes I gave at conferences andmeetups. I've found out that people highly enjoy them and they tend to liventhe room.At the beginning of each chapter I'll show you a short Python program and willask you to guess the output. The possible answers can be:- Syntax error- Exception- Hang- Some output (e.g. `[1 2 3]`)Before moving on to the answer and the explanation, go ahead and guess theoutput. After guessing the output I encourage you to run the code andsee the output yourself, only then proceed to read the solution andthe explantation. I've been teaching programming for many years and found thiscourse of action to be highly effective.

We geeks love puzzles and solving them. The Python programming language is a simple one, but like all other languages it has quirks. This book uses those quirks as teaching opportunities via 30 simple Python programs that challenge your understanding of Python. The teasers will help you avoid mistakes, see gaps in your knowledge, and become better at what you do. Use these teasers to impress your co-workers or just to pass the time in those boring meetings. Teasers are fun! At the beginning of each chapter I'll show you a short Python program and will ask you to guess the output. The possible answers can be: Syntax error Exception Hang Some output (e.g. `[1 2 3]`) Here's how to approach the puzzles. Read through the code. Before moving on to the answer and the explanation, go ahead and guess the output. After guessing the output, run the code and see the output yourself. Finally proceed to read the solution and the explanation. The puzzles are short enough to solve on a coffee break, so carry them with you, have fun, and share them with co-workers. People who make mistakes during the learning process learn better than people who don't. If you use this approach at work when fixing bugs, you'll find you enjoy bug hunting more and become a better developer after each bug you fix. Many of these puzzles are from the author's lessons learned (and others) of shipping bugs to production. He often uses the puzzles as quizzes during conferences and meetups, and they tend to create a buzz of excitement. What You Need: You need to know Python at some level and have experience programming with it. NOTE: The book uses Python version 3.8.2 to run the code; the output _could_ change in future versions. You will need a working Python environment, you can download it from "python.org":https://www.python.org/downloads/. You will probably want a good IDE for python, two of the most popular ones are "Visual Studio Code":https://code.visualstudio.com/ and "PyCharm":https://www.jetbrains.com/pycharm/.

This book contains 25 short programs that will challenge your understanding of Pandas. Like any big project, the Pandas developers had to make some design decisions that at times seem surprising. This book uses those quirks as a teaching opportunity. By understanding the gaps in your knowledge, you'll become better at what you do. Some of the teasers are from the author's experience shipping bugs to production, and some from others doing the same. Teasers and puzzles are fun, and learning how to solve them can teach you to avoid programming mistakes and maybe even impress your colleagues and future employers. Working with data is central to nearly everything we do, from disease contact tracing and analyzing health records to smart meters that track utility consumption behavior. With the power of Python's pandas library, you can process and analyze this data in a highly efficient and simple-to-understand way. And with 25 brain teasers designed to turn this technology's quirks into a teaching opportunity, you'll be honing your data science skills while having fun at the same time. Following a simple format, you'll challenge yourself and your understanding of pandas. Read a short Python program that uses pandas, try to guess the output, run the code yourself, and then go to the next page for an explanation of the solution. From common pitfalls and hidden gotchas to unexpected twists and turns, you'll deepen your understanding of pandas, learn to write more efficient code, and reduce the number of bugs in the software you develop. You may even impress your colleagues and your employers, both present and future. Learn the tricks of the trade with Python's pandas, in one of the most fun and creative ways around. What You Need: To run the code you'll need Python version 3.8 or upper and Pandas version 1.0 or upper installed. We use Python version 3.8.3 and Pandas version 1.0.5; the output might change in future versions.

This book contains 25 short programs that will challenge your understanding of Pandas. Like any big project, the Pandas developers had to make some design decisions that at times seem surprising. This book uses those quirks as a teaching opportunity. By understanding the gaps in your knowledge, you'll become better at what you do. Some of the teasers are from the author's experience shipping bugs to production, and some from others doing the same. Teasers and puzzles are fun, and learning how to solve them can teach you to avoid programming mistakes and maybe even impress your colleagues and future employers. Working with data is central to nearly everything we do, from disease contact tracing and analyzing health records to smart meters that track utility consumption behavior. With the power of Python's pandas library, you can process and analyze this data in a highly efficient and simple-to-understand way. And with 25 brain teasers designed to turn this technology's quirks into a teaching opportunity, you'll be honing your data science skills while having fun at the same time. Following a simple format, you'll challenge yourself and your understanding of pandas. Read a short Python program that uses pandas, try to guess the output, run the code yourself, and then go to the next page for an explanation of the solution. From common pitfalls and hidden gotchas to unexpected twists and turns, you'll deepen your understanding of pandas, learn to write more efficient code, and reduce the number of bugs in the software you develop. You may even impress your colleagues and your employers, both present and future. Learn the tricks of the trade with Python's pandas, in one of the most fun and creative ways around. What You Need: To run the code you'll need Python version 3.8 or upper and Pandas version 1.0 or upper installed. We use Python version 3.8.3 and Pandas version 1.0.5; the output might change in future versions.

The Rust programming language is consistent and does its best to avoid surprising the programmer. Like all languages, though, Rust still has its quirks. But these quirks present a teaching opportunity. In this book, you'll work through a series of brain teasers that will challenge your understanding of Rust. By understanding the gaps in your knowledge, you can become better at what you do and avoid mistakes. Many of the teasers in this book come from the author's own experience creating software. Others derive from commonly asked questions in the Rust community. Regardless of their origin, these brain teasers are fun, and let's face it: who doesn't love a good puzzle, right? What better way to exercise your brain and increase your Rust programming knowledge than with a collection of dynamic brain teasers? As you read through each of these puzzles and try to work out the answers, you'll not only learn about Rust's unique quirks and peculiarities, you'll also have loads of fun along the way. Dive right in and get started with example code and sample problems that cover numbers and text, shadowing and memory, and everything in between. Try to figure out why a particular program won't compile, why it produces unexpected output, or why it panics and terminates with an error message. Once you've run the code and read the answer, it's time to get to the heart of the matter with a detailed explanation. Learn why a program produced the result it did, and discover how similar issues might affect the code you write in your own programs, even in production. Sourced from engaging discussions within the Rust community, real-world problems, and even reader feedback, these challenges will certainly surprise, enlighten, and entertain you. Are you ready to experience Rust like never before? Then sharpen your brain and get ready for a challenge! What You Need: This book assumes you have some knowledge of the Rust programming language. To work through the brain teasers in this book, you'll need a working Rust environment on any platform. You can install Rust by visiting https://rustup.rs/. You'll also need a text editor or Rust-friendly IDE.

This book contains 25 short programs that will challenge your understanding of Go. Like any big project, the Go developers had to make some design decisions that at times seem surprising. This book uses those quirks as a teaching opportunity. By understanding the gaps in your knowledge, you'll become better at what you do. Some of the teasers are from the author's experience shipping bugs to production, and some from others doing the same. Teasers and puzzles are fun, and learning how to solve them can teach you to avoid programming mistakes and maybe even impress your colleagues and future employers. Programmers love the Go (golang) programming language because of its efficiency and simple tooling. But that doesn't mean programming in Go is without challenges, like hidden dependencies that trip up the compiler and interesting string type conversions that differ from languages like Python. Work your way through 25 short brain teasers, and learn the nuances of Go in one of the most fun and creative ways around. Challenge yourself and challenge your assumptions to gain a more in-depth understanding of integers, strings, Unicode, compiler behavior, and a variety of subtle programming gotchas that might otherwise trip you up. Just read a short program written in Go, try to guess the output, run the code yourself, and then go to the next page for an explanation of the solution. By working through these brain teasers, you'll tighten up your Go programming skills and have lots of fun at the same time. Taken from real-world, programming problems, conference talks, and meetup quizzes, these brain teasers provide an effective learning tool that's as enjoyable as it is educational. What You Need: This book assumes you know Go at some level and have experience programming with it. *NOTE:* We use Go version 1.14.1 to run the code; the output might change in future versions. You will need a working Go environment, you can download it from https://golang.org/dl. You will probably want a good IDE for Go, two of the most popular ones are Visual Studio Code and GoLand.

Challenge your brain with math! Using nothing more than basic arithmetic and logic, you'll be thrilled as answers slot into place. Whether purely for fun or to test your knowledge, you'll sharpen your problem-solving skills and flex your mental muscles. All you need is logical thought, a little patience, and a clear mind. There are no gotchas here. These puzzles are the perfect introduction to or refresher for math concepts you may have only just learned or long since forgotten. Get ready to have more fun with numbers than you've ever had before. Engage your analytical side with these numerical brain teasers. Math and logic puzzles help you stretch your mind to think in new ways. They flex your lateral thinking as you work through fresh problem styles. Each puzzle type comes with an explanation, a method for solving them, and solutions if you get stuck. The puzzles in this book are short, self-contained, and "gritty." They offer an enjoyable challenge and are designed to be solvable within a few minutes. You only need basic arithmetic to solve these puzzles; no advanced math required. There's plenty of variety to keep things fresh. From wandering digits to magic triangles, from summing grids to water pails, you'll find something that catches your interest. Each puzzle is brief, so use them as a warm-up to your daily work, for a delightful diversion on your coffee break, or solve a few while you wind down for the day. Grab a pencil and your thinking cap, and get solving!